According to a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) specification, a ball used in the sport of Lacrosse must contains at least 67 percent rubber. Generally, the remainder of the ball can contain fillers, additives and plasticizers. The materials of the ball can affect ball hardness which can prove troublesome owing to the high speed nature of the sport. During gameplay, the ball might collide with a player or spectator with the potential to cause serious injury. Personal protective gear does provide some protection but the lacrosse ball can frequently contact a player's body at high speeds and forces. The impact of the ball can cause bruises and broken bones. Attempts to ameliorate the damage from impact by a Lacrosse ball are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,247,107 which describes a lacrosse ball that distributes its impact over a larger surface area by deforming to a much larger degree than conventional solid rubber lacrosse balls. One aspect of the invention describes a lacrosse ball having a hollow interior. This can be a disadvantage when trying to meet weight and volume specifications for a Lacrosse ball.
A second embodiment of the invention describes a lacrosse ball having a soft core and an exterior cover that is harder than the core. Another aspect of the invention describes a lacrosse ball having a dense core and a less dense outer layer over (e.g., over-molded) the dense core. In another aspect of the invention, the outer layer fully encases the dense core. The disadvantage of this invention is its complex structure of the Lacrosse ball and the associated increased manufacturing costs.